Please Note: ABC was pre-empted in Tampa Bay for local coverage of ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” game (Buccaneers-Colts), so the Fast Affiliate numbers are subject to change once the National ratings are issued this afternoon.

“Dancing with the Stars” (8:00-10:00 p.m.)

Building its audience from its first hour to its second hour opposite CBS’ “Two and a Half Men”
-fueled comedy block from 8:00-10:00 p.m., “Dancing with the Stars” (16.5 million) made ABC the biggest drawin its time slot for the 3rd consecutive week, topping CBS by 3.4 million viewers (13.1 million), Fox by 7.5 million viewers (9.0 million) and NBC by 11.6 million viewers (4.9 million). Head to head against its unscripted competition in the 2-hour time slot, ABC’s “Dancing” outdelivered NBC’s “The Sing Off” by 72% with young adults (3.1/7 vs. 1.8/4).

ABC’s “Castle” increased its overall audience by 7% from the same night last year (10.8 million), gaining year to year for its 3rd time in as many telecasts this season.

A note about increasing DVR penetration and year-to-year rating comparisons: Year-to-year rating comparisons based on the Live + Same Day data stream are distorted by the level of DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample, which has jumped up to 42% currently, from 38% at the same point in 2010. More viewers are watching shows on their own timetables, which may not be reflected in the overnight next day numbers. The only truly valid year-to-year comparison would be one based on the Live + 7 Day metric, once those stats are released by Nielsen.

Source: The Nielsen Company (Fast Affiliate, Live + Same Day Ratings), 10/3/11.